vehicle search

I am also a newbe to the site and after reading the post on firearms was wondering do most campgrounds search the rv and or vehicle? Have yet to use a military campground, just wondering what to expect.

Welcome to the website, and the forums!

We've visited about 35 military campgrounds. We've had our motor home or Jeep searched at maybe 5 bases, at the base gate. Sometimes, the search is very thorough, having us open every compartment and them walking around inside. Once, they had some equipment to test us (bomb detectors?). But it's no big hassle and they are doing their jobs. I'm glad to see some bases take security to this level.

The same as any other vehicle, your RV and POV is subject to inspection at any time. At one base, they had a "quota" of vehicles to inspect. We were inspected 5 times going through the main gate in just 3 days.

When the threat is escalated, the inspections become more thorough and frequent, as they should be. Once of the reasons we like being at military campgrounds - they are the most exclusive gated campgrounds available, complete with armed guards.

Before we got a base sticker on our motorhome, we were routinely searched when entering a base to get to a famcamp. These searches were of varying thoroughness, but we never had to dump everything out.

Since we got a base sticker on the motorhome and the toad, we haven't been searched once. Luck of the draw, I guess. But as Larry said, we sure sleep easier on-base than we have in some place out in the vil. (Las Vegas springs to mind.)

Thanks for the responses. It's been years since I've been on a base and I guess 9/11 changed most eeverything we do. We plan to visit parts of Virginia and North Carolina this year so maybe we will try a base campground if there is one nearby.

Over the past 24 months of fulltime travel, we have stayed at 18 different FamCamps; both our motorhome and toad have valid base stickers. Only two bases/posts/stations have ever stopped us for inspection. The security guards at Fort Drum NY entered our coach on two separate occasions (visited the post twice), but did not ask to look into the basement compartments, and Scott AFB asked to see inside the compartments, but did not enter the coach. During the inspections, the security guards were both professional and polite, and, in the case of Fort Drum and at the request of my wife, they removed their shoes (boots, actually) prior to entering the coach!

John

Last week, we stopped at Warner Robins AFB in Macon, GA and we went through a bomb detection arch, then they searched our tow car. They opened the hood and trunk and looked underneath. They did not search our RV. (we have stickers from MacDill AFB on both vehicles which I think helped). They were extremely professional and polite. Took less than 15 minutes. They did check both our ID's. We had 3 grandkids with us and they did not ask for ID's for them.